Is It Wise for Devin Haney to Take a 2-Year Long Layoff Before Potential Ryan Garcia Rematch?

Devin Haney wants a vacation! Away from the shenanigans of the boxing world and the training camps to the cruises and popular destinations. He wants a change, a break from boxing. But what forced such a drastic step? Is the American boxer feeling the heat of the recent loss? Or is it that he wants some time off the ring to reset himself? Whatever may be the rationale, it might come to haunt him later. He turned to his X handle recently and specified his intention to spend a couple of years on vacation as Ryan Garcia serves a two-year ban for testing positive for ostarine. So, what exactly is forcing Haney, 25, to take some time off fighting and slack off?

It seems he hasn’t made peace with the recent defeat to Garcia, 25, which also dented his reputation to a greater extent. While he has a gold strap to show for it, his stocks have plummeted considerably. You can also reason that his purse bid with Sandor Martin that Top Rank won didn’t generate the purse split to keep him fighting. After all, a champion won’t put his title on the line for $1.5 million, whereas his two recent fights have beefed up his bank account to close to $40 million. Will he? So, where exactly does ‘The Dream’ stand, and how is his obsession with ‘KingRy’ causing him to waste his prime years?

Devin Haney: making his career dependent on Ryan Garcia

The WBC super lightweight champion was touted to weed out the competition at 140, and he did prove the pundits right by snatching away the title from Regis Prograis. But what worked against his favor was his not-so-fan-friendly style, reluctance to go for the kill, and the tendency to hide behind the jab and grind out a result. It slowly put him in need of fighting a PPV star to pump up his image, and he chose Garcia. And we all know how that transpired.

Not only did Garcia prove Haney could be broken down, but he also tore apart his public impression. Do fans still hail Haney as an elite fighter? We highly doubt that. That has also affected his negotiating power to secure a heavy paycheck in the future, and the Sandor Martin purse bid is a clear indication of that. So, the 31-1 record holder is back at square one and, instead of keeping on fighting, is again trying to bank on a rematch with Garcia to restore his reputation.

However, this time around, the Victorville native has all the power to call shots, and the champion, according to Garcia, is ‘damaged goods’. He doesn’t see any logic or financial benefit in fighting Haney, as he has already done his job. So, waiting for a rematch with Garcia is a blunder of enormous proportions. But why is the former undisputed lightweight champion committing to it?

Wasting prime and youth for a 0 in the record’s column

What moves the needle these days in the boxing world? It’s the illusion of an undefeated record. Fighters stack their resumes after fighting little-known fighters, and the allure of their undefeated record attracts fans. With Haney’s unblemished record gone, his confidence also looks like it may have tanked.

But at 25, he is still young and has yet to enter his prime years. The more he grinds himself in the boxing ring, facing foes of unique styles, the more he adds to his experience and bag of tricks. By 27, theoretically, if the San Francisco native had fought top fighters, he would have polished his skills to perfection, and he would also have learned how to handle a fighter with a powerful and quick left hand like Garcia.

Moreover, it’s perfect timing. The fans and the boxing world at large want to witness how Haney bounces back. After spending two years on the shelf, neither the fans nor the promoter will pay heed to what he has to offer. All they will look at is the ring rust of two years and a loss in the last fight. So, what should Haney do now? He does not have to look beyond the man he takes after Floyd Mayweather.

Going the old-fashioned way

What did ‘Money’ do in his career that cemented his legacy and even made him a PPV star, despite being a technical fighter? First, the American boxer knew how to sell fights with what he offered at press conferences. Secondly, he fought almost every year in his prime, sometimes even 3 times a year, even against little-known opponents. This kept him on his toes and prepared for every opponent they could throw at him.

If Haney can replicate Mayweather’s success, defeating opponents convincingly and collecting championship belts, he could regain fan interest and boost his pay-per-view sales. This approach would address some of Haney’s concerns about his marketability. But will Devin Haney really do that or hold on to the idea of a rematch with Garcia? We’ll find out soon.

What do you make of this decision of Devin Haney to go on a lengthy layoff? Do you think it will be a smart call from him? Let us know in the comments below.